I REFER to your article on April 6 headlined “Hostel next door to dance school? No thank you!”

The South Wales Echo has a responsibility to report facts, not scare readers or increase the fear of crime. Your article refers to residents of the Huggard Centre as alcoholics and drug addicts. Such reporting increases the inaccurate and unfair opinion the general public has of people who have found themselves homeless. As a society we need to pull together to support people who have fallen on hard times, not vilify them.

Siobhan Corria Station Road Llandaff North, Cardiff

* I AM writing to you in support of The Point in Cardiff Bay, a great venue for a mid-sized gig. Its closure leaves a huge gap in Cardiff. Last year they had to spend loads of money on sound-proofing, all apparently to no avail. It is a crying shame. Is there any way of getting it open again? Can you help? I love going there.

Mark Tucker Victoria Road Penarth

* WITH regard to Sunday’s Cardiff City v Swansea soccer match.

I understand the attendance was 20,156, while the estimated policing cost was £250,000. I trust that the fans didn’t mind a surcharge of £12.40 per ticket?

A week last Saturday I was at Cardiff Arms Park... oh, OK, the Millennium Thingie (I still can’t get used to these new-fangled names) where there were 74,500 of us to see the Wales v Ireland rugby game.

Pro-rata, and in comparison with the soccer game, did the corresponding rugby policing cost £924,000? I don’t think so.

It's all a bit sad really

Rob Edwards Jersey (Ex-Rhondda)

* I WOULD like to raise a point in answer to Len Robinson’ s letter (Viewpoints, March 28) concerning staff shortages in our hospitals.

It’s not only staff shortages that are a problem: ward closures resulting in bed shortages are also a significant problem.

My husband was admitted to Llandough Hospital in October a very sick man, taken from a warm bed to wait 28-and-a-half hours for a bed in hospital – most of that time in an armchair in a waiting room.

Within two weeks he developed pneumonia and died. I think situations like the one Mr Robinson refers to are already in our Welsh hospitals.

C Maddock-Jones Brundall Crescent Ely, Cardiff

* CAMELOT should suspend the National Lottery until the recession is over. Failing that, they should come up with a plan to somehow provide the big payouts to ailing firms rather than make individual people millionaires. Those firms could employ people.

David Hunt Pantmawr, Whitchurch, Cardiff

Runners can join with us and raise valuable funds WE would like to offer an opportunity to all readers who are disappointed that the Great Welsh Run will not be staged in Cardiff this year.

We understand the frustration of those who were taking part in the run to improve their fitness levels and those who were planning to raise money for charity.

We can offer those runners the chance to make sure their charity does not lose out.

By taking part in the Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday, October, 18, they will be able to raise money for a charity of their choice, as well as keeping sight of their fitness goals.

The Cardiff Half Marathon is a fast, flat course around the City taking in many landmark sights. It is now into its seventh year and has proved very popular with runners of all levels.

The event is organised by children’s charity Barnardo’s Cymru but offers the chance to all runners to raise money for their own favourite cause. Each year the runners raise thousands of pounds for hundreds of different charities.

Anyone who would like more information about entering the Cardiff Half Marathon and raising money for their favourite charity, should log on to www.cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk